The Reading Request
by cheshiredreams
Summary: The night had just begun and already it was trying Asher's patience...


Another oneshot, in which Seshie asks her caretaker, Asher Riycroft, to read to her. It's short, simple, and makes me smile.

Vampire: The Masquerade, does not belong to me  
Nor do Asher and Lucina, who are the loves brain children of Neori - to the story!

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The night had just begun - and already it was trying Asher's patience. Seshie had woken in a 'fit' - which thankfully were becoming few and far between – and had already attempted to kill Asher twice in under an hour. The girl was currently sulking in her room. 'Vile Asher', as Seshie put it, wouldn't let her leave the ancient mansion. God only knew what would happen if she was allowed near mortals in her current temper.

It had begun to rain by midnight, alternating between a heavy down pour and soft sheets of rain upon the windowpane. Seshie pressed her nose against the archaic glass, her clawed hands delicately scratching against it as quiet whimpers escaped her lips. After hours of screaming and cursing in various languages, she couldn't remember why she was in her room at this hour - a voice in the back of her head said it had something to do with Asher.

"Oh.. Asher?" she questioned the darkness, her fevered mind was slowly clearing as the rain continued on. "Is Asher angry..?" she whispered softly. The same voice answered with a 'yes'. The vampire whimpered again, the rain always had a wonderful effect on her sanity; Seshie had always found comfort in the soft steady beats it produced.

The girl glanced briefly around her room, slowly crossing it to take a book from her shelf. A book of poetry in French was soon pulled from the shelf. _'Asher was French_.' mused Seshie, her head tilting slightly, _'Asher spoke French_.' she finally reasoned. A quiet gasp was uttered from her lips as her mind raced. It took a moment for her to understand what her mind had produced, but it seemed wonderful once she realized what it was. Tucking the book close to her chest Seshie gathered her skirts in her free hand, quickly exiting the room and running headlong into something solid.

Asher blinked in surprise as he easily caught the elder vampire. Having taken a seat outside his 'ward's' room he was understandably suspicious once the noise had died down. A question had already formed upon his lips - it was never given the chance to be voiced.

"Asher read?" begged Seshie abruptly, hopeful eyes lifting to the blonde man. "Oh, please Asher. Seshie has been beastly tonight, and she _is_ sorry. Read? Please? To Seshie?" she quickly pressed the book into his hands.

The said man regarded the book warily; the last time Seshie had begged him to read to her an explicit murder scene had been the content of the passage. Sighing, he reluctantly opened the volume, staring in surprise as he realized it was poetry. So this is where his book had gotten off to.

"If you would like.." He finally agreed, a faint smile gracing his lips – Seshie had the oddest way of apologizing.

A squeal of delight sounded from Seshie, blood red eyes lighting up as she ushered the taller man into her room as she directed him to take a seat on the floor at the foot of her bed. Cautiously he complied with the girl's wishes – objecting at first but Seshie's sincere begging won out in the end. Opening the book to a random page his voice soon filled the silence of the room, contrasting nicely with the pitter-patter of the rain outside.

The Romanian paced her room briefly as she listened to the rhythm of words, eventually taking a seat behind Asher on her bed. His blonde hair was soon unbraided and a brush produced and run through it as Seshie quietly listened to the poetry – Asher's voice never faltering during the process to reveal his surprise at her actions. He did allow himself a curious glance at her though, which she either missed or had chosen to ignore – it was rather hard to tell with Seshie.

The night passed in a comfortable companionship between the two. It was, quite possibly, one of the most lucid night's Seshie had experienced in some time. Her sporadic mutterings evolved into quite repetitions of the poems being read, occasionally reciting along with Asher if she recalled the verse.

They were nearing the end of the book by the time Lucina had climbed the stairs. The child vampire had left due to Seshie's violent outbursts earlier in the evening, it was always better to stay away during those times then attempt to calm the elder vampire – Asher was physically better suited for such endeavors when compared to Lucina's ten year old body. She searched one wing of the mansion, eventually making her way to Seshie's room. The question she had been meaning to ask promptly died on her lips at the sight of the two vampires – Seshie was almost affectionately re-braiding Asher's hair while he read to her. The tranquil ambiance between the pair was enough to make anyone feel as though they had intruded onto something quite intimate. A delicate smile graced the child's candid features, quickly passing the room unnoticed as eloquent French poems followed Lucina's retreat into the darkness.


End file.
